'One Good Chair 2009: Fit Right Here' Design Competition Takes Front Seat at World Market Center

Furniture World News

Designers around the world are being called to action to create an iconic “eco-chair,” in the second One Good Chair design competition, sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas, Las Vegas Market’s Living Green Pavilion and the Sustainable Furnishings Council. Susan Inglis, executive director for the Sustainable Furnishings Council, called One Good Chair an inspirational event. “Not only is it challenging and provocative, but One Good Chair shows designers are designing for the way we live today. They’re creating pieces that are beautiful and functional, but also putting into practice what’s best for the planet and life as we know it. It’s about fit.” Jury chair and competition organizer Lance Hosey is an architect and author of The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design. Hosey said, “More and more designers and manufacturers are going green, but typically they do so by rethinking materials and methods alone. One Good Chair encourages designers to rethink how we design things, and not just how we make them.” Hosey is also a Contributing Editor with Architect magazine, where he writes the monthly “Ecology” column. The theme of this year’s One Good Chair competition, “Fit Right Here,” emphasizes the connection between a person fitting comfortably in a chair as well as the chair fitting appropriately in its environment and the eco-system. The goal of the “eco chair” competition is to solicit designs that embody and enhance a particular place, Hosey said. The competition is open to any designer, architect, student or interested person anywhere. Margaret Casey, director of programming at World Market Center Las Vegas and a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, said innovation and form are imperative in the judging criteria. “Judges are looking for a lounge chair or casual seating chair designs that demonstrate a fresh way of addressing material conservation, physical comfort and emotional resonance.” “The competition promotes region-specific design,” Casey said, adding that locally made, sustainable furniture is the goal of the contest. “Our judges for this competition are influential and prestigious and their involvement makes One Good Chair an outstanding opportunity.” Hosey said he hopes to see ideas from across the globe, and concepts that transport the imagination to a particular time and place, whether that’s through regional ecology, local materials, conservation of resources through form, culturally determined notions of comfort or social history. Cash prizes, intended to support further development of the winning chair designs, will be awarded at a reception sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas. The awards presentation will take place during Fall Las Vegas Market, September 14 - 17. Winners and select entries will be featured in industry publications such as ecofabulous and other media outlets, as well as Hosey’s forthcoming book, The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design. All finalists will be featured on the competition website and in public exhibitions. The “One Good Chair” registration is now open and closes May 30, 2009. For more information or an entry form, visit www.onegoodchair.com, www.lasvegasmarket.com or www.sustainablefurnishings.org. The judges of One Good Chair represent a cross section of renowned designers, researchers and academics with specific expertise in eco-friendly design. The One Good Chair jury includes: Lance Hosey, architect and author (jury chair) www.shapeofgreendesign.com Marc Alt, Marc Alt + Partners, AIGA Center for Sustainability www.marcalt.com Valerie Casey, IDEO, Designers Accord www.valcasey.com Robert Corser, 2008 One Good Chair finalist www.corserdesign.com Kira Gould, William McDonough + Partners www.mcdonoughpartners.com Zem Joaquin, ecofabulous www.ecofabulous.com Stephen Kieran, KieranTimberlake www.kierantimberlake.com Richard Liddle, Cohda Design www.cohda.com Pete O’Shea, Siteworks www.siteworks-studio.com Elva Rubio, Bruce Mau Design www.brucemaudesign.com Jill Salisbury, el furniture www.el-furniture.com Nathan Shedroff, author, Experience Design www.nathan.com Susan Szenasy, Metropolis www.metropolismag.com Matteo Vercelloni, Studio Matteo Vercelloni www.matteovercelloni.it Michael Wollaeger, Luxe magazine www.luxe.magazine.com About World Market Center Las Vegas World Market Center Las Vegas is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex in Las Vegas. With the opening of Building C, World Market Center now stands at more than five million square feet of space, exceeding the size of any trade merchandise mart in the United States. When fully built, at $3 billion, 12 million square feet and 8 buildings, World Market Center will be the largest trade show complex in the world. The state-of-the-art campus showcases furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textile and related segments, as well as the Las Vegas Design Center (LVDC), open year-round. About Sustainable Furnishings Council The Sustainable Furnishings Council is a non-profit balanced coalition of industry players created to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike with a public tagging program to identify good choices. We are over two hundred and fifty members strong and growing fast. The solution starts with you. For more information visit www.sustainablefurnishings.org. About Lance Hosey Nationally recognized architect, designer, and author Lance Hosey has been featured in Metropolis magazine’s “Next Generation” program and Architectural Record’s “emerging architect” series. Until the end of 2008, he held the position of Director with William McDonough + Partners, and since 2007 he has been a Contributing Editor with Architect magazine, where he writes the monthly “Ecology” column. With Kira Gould, he is co-author of Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design (Ecotone Publishing, 2007), and his forthcoming book is entitled, The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design. www.theshapeofgreendesign.com.